Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1887-1890, 1887-07-16
MARK TWAIN'S RULINGS.
He Makes Decisions Which Resoiu-
tlonize Base Ball.


Henry Guy Carlton thus describes a
base ball match at Elmira, in which Mark
Twain was umpire:
Game was called at 80 p. m, and the
Alerts went to bat. Most of them had
been alert on a bat the night before, to
practice. The umpires .were placed for
safe keeping in the judges box, and the
scorers occupied the two front rows in the
grand stand. Mark Twain called time,
and Mayor Stanchfield delivered the first
ball, which cleared the home plate by IL
feet and smote an inofensive justice of
the peace in the ear. Umpires Beecher
and Joslyn pronounced it a strike and
laid down the following rules:
First-Ball is a strike that passes within
eight feet of the plate, Oh either side of it.
Second-To wait for good balls causes
delay and public dissatisfaction, and is
not going to be allowed on this occa-
sion. The batsman will strike at every
thing that comes, whether he can reach it
or not.
Third-In waiting intervals pecking at
the plate with the bat to see if it is there
will not be allowed. The batsman is de-
MED all professional afectation. He must
stand up straight and attend strictly to
business.
Mayor S~tanchfield now delivered his
second ball, which Denton stopped with
the pit of his stomach. He was allowed
q base by the umpire and went to first on
a stretcher. Mark Twain her issued the
following rules:
The pitcher must not wipe the ball OF
his pants, neither must he keep on in
speeding it and squirming it and twisting
and trying to rub the skin off with his
hands, and he must not keep the public
waiting while he makes Elusive feints at
reputable parties on first and second base.
All these foolings delay the game and
dull the excitement.
Bennett now went to bat, dubbed the
catcher on the head, and was allowed two
bases by the umpire. The interest now
began to deepen as Judge Dexter took the
ash. A red-hot twister from S%tanchfeld
took the end of the bat and bumped back
over the grand stand.
Fair ball" yelled the umpire. xDex-
ter went to first as the captured ball flew
to second, who muffed and passed it to
first, while Denton came home. While
first was chasing the ball, assisted by left
and the short stop, Bennett got to third
and then stole to the plate. making the
tirsa home run amid tremendous enthusi-
asm.
Mark Twain then delivered the follow
ing decision.
Not more than Is men at a time will be
allowed to leave their places and chase a
foul or a fy-or a blue bottle-and pre-
vent the capture of it.
The catcher viii keep his nose out of
the baseman's pocket and stand fair.
Cripples will be removed from the field
at once and substitutes put into their
places. No public rubbings and rollings
and restorings will be allowed; they cause
delay.
Persons arriving at bases on their stom-
achs do not score.
Parties who guy the umpire will be
killed.
He then declared the Alerts' inning
ended and came down to argue the ques-
ton. There was some little disagreement
among the players, and the spectators
presented several tokens Of esteem to the
umpire, and a delay of nearly half IN hour
occurred, after which Mark Twain vas
assisted to the surgery.